Navera Investment Management Ltd. lowered its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 0.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 776,303 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 5,804 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 7.7% of Navera Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Navera Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $402,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bfsg LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 57,812 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,943,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Alesco Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC now owns 12,973 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,719,000 after buying an additional 795 shares during the period. Rather & Kittrell Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 29.4% in the third quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. now owns 4,441 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,009 shares during the period. Retirement Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 16.5% in the third quarter. Retirement Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 622 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phoenix Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Microsoft by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors now owns 20,386 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,559,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Performance
Shares of MSFT stock opened at $414.12 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $466.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $495.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.90, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08.
Microsoft Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 22.76%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush reduced their price target on Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (down previously from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Melius Research set a $430.00 price target on Microsoft in a report on Monday. Finally, Arete Research lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $710.00 to $730.00 in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Insider Activity at Microsoft
In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst commentary and broader tech-led market lift helped push MSFT higher after last week’s sell-off; the coverage framed the pullback as a buying opportunity. Why Microsoft Stock Topped the Market Today
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed how many paying Copilot customers it has — a concrete monetization datapoint that reassures investors about AI product revenue traction. Microsoft Finally Revealed How Many Paying Copilot Customers It Has. The Answer Was Shocking for More Reasons Than One.
- Positive Sentiment: Reports attribute part of MSFT’s gains to a key new hire meant to shore up AI efforts and execution — a governance/operational positive that calms investor nerves about execution risk. Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains Thanks in Part to New Hire
- Positive Sentiment: Momentum at OpenAI (where Microsoft is a major backer) shows ChatGPT growth accelerating vs. Google — supportive for Microsoft’s AI strategy and Azure demand. OpenAI Intensifies Race with Google as ChatGPT Returns to Higher Growth
- Neutral Sentiment: Xbox-related reports (next Xbox reportedly a gaming PC) provided a modest product narrative boost but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Rises Alongside Reports the Next Xbox Will Be a Gaming PC
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysis arguing AI spending looks large on paper but is manageable helped calm some fears — frames capex as an investment with long-term payback rather than an immediate cash drain. Microsoft’s AI Spend Looks Scary, Until You Run The Numbers
- Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT from Buy to Hold and cut its price target, citing concerns about AI capex and growth—this is a direct bearish analyst action pressuring sentiment. Here’s Why Melius Moved to the Sidelines on Microsoft Stock (MSFT)
- Negative Sentiment: Earlier downgrades (e.g., Stifel) and commentary that MSFT’s valuation now trades below legacy peers like IBM highlight investor worries about heavy AI CapEx and near-term margin pressure. Microsoft’s stock is now cheaper than IBM’s. What that says about the AI trade.
Microsoft Profile
Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.
Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).
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